"...Cargill's corporate philosophy, shaped by its participation in the grain trade, emphasizes secrecy and an intricate worldwide intelligence network. Robert Bergland, former secretary of agriculture, told the Minneapolis Star and Tribune that "they probably have the best crop-marketing intelligence available anywhere, and that includes the CIA." While secrecy provides an enormous operational advantage to Cargill, it creates problems as well. One frustrated journalist summarized Cargill as a "secretive, inbred and suspicious" company. Cargill's low profile has created no reservoir of favorable public opinion in difficult times. After becoming president of Cargill in 1957, an exasperated Cargill MacMillan complained that the company only received public attention when it was involved in a court case. As late as 1977, a company survey revealed that while 94 percent of farmers had heard of Cargill, only 49 percent knew what the company did...."